75 Elizabeth St (City of Toronto, ?s, ?)

[interchange42]

This is one of 8 sites listed in the initial ModernTO report by the City of Toronto that is looking to consolidate the City's office leases into fewer, more modern buildings, while at the same time maximizing the land use on particular sites that they own, to include "such [uses] as affordable housing, employment uses, and community infrastructure."

With it located directly behind City Hall, this will be a tricky one to plan, or make very large, based on the City wanting to protect northward views of City Hall from Nathan Phillips Square: they won't want this intruding into the gap between the City Hall towers, nor above them.

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[Northern Light]

This is one of 8 sites listed in the initial ModernTO report by the City of Toronto that is looking to consolidate the City's office leases into fewer, more modern buildings, while at the same time maximizing the land use on particular sites that they own, to include "such [uses] as affordable housing, employment uses, and community infrastructure."

View attachment 204685

With it located directly behind City Hall, this will be a tricky one to plan, or make very large, based on the City wanting to protect northward views of City Hall from Nathan Phillips Square: they won't want this intruding into the gap between the City Hall towers, nor above them.

42

While I don't know that the area needs a ton more green space; this might be the most logical use for this small site.

Larry Sefton Park is immediately to the east fronting Bay Street, while the Downtown Diversity Garden as seen in this pic is on the north side of this building.

If one can't go up, that would probably be the most logical choice and would create a more usable block for the park as well.

I should add, that if you remove the existing building, you could consider closing Hagerman ST all together, adding it to the greenspace and/or giving it a makeover as a pedestrian-priority street.

 

[jje1000]

This entire area is characteristically confused on account of it being on the butt-end of NPS (with a low north-south street interconnectivity) while also being too small to generate/draw any character of its own. It's essentially the back corner of a room.

I actually wonder if partially developing the north or east end of the site but leaving a NPS-North mini-square might work- serving as a more casual/less ceremonial and more urbanistically 'sticky' space for Dundas Street?

 

[WislaHD]

I'm oddly okay with this site just remaining as is, minus any necessary renovations inside.

 

[Automation Gallery]

A public parkette here is a no brainer,
..get rid of the road while they are at it

 

[Northern Light]

Some movement here via a report to the March 7th meeting of CreateTO.

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/ra/bgrd/backgroundfile-222207.pdf

From the above:

 

[innsertnamehere]

any development here would completely violate the City's City Hall View Corridor policies which they have strictly enforced on other projects to the north.

 

[turini2]

Yeah, given you've got 'Downtown Diversity Garden' to the north and Larry Sefton Park to the east - a 3,000m2/0.74 acre park is easily possible on this site if they wanted

 

[AlbertC]

View of the corner of Elizabeth & Hagerman circa 1978:

Nanking Restaurant and Tavern, famous Chinese cuisine, Hagerman and Elizabeth - 1978 - Toronto Guardian

Nanking Restaurant and Tavern, famous 1978 - Chinese cuisine, Hagerman and Elizabeth.

torontoguardian.com

 

[Towered]

View of the corner of Elizabeth & Hagerman circa 1978:


View attachment 382440

Nanking Restaurant and Tavern, famous Chinese cuisine, Hagerman and Elizabeth - 1978 - Toronto Guardian

Nanking Restaurant and Tavern, famous 1978 - Chinese cuisine, Hagerman and Elizabeth.

torontoguardian.com

That ugly stucco office building used to house a cool looking Chinese themed tavern??

 

[AlbertC]

That ugly stucco office building used to house a cool looking Chinese themed tavern??

I believe so. Here's an old photo with a guy standing in front of the tavern, and the rear of City Hall can be seen in the background from that angle:

Trying to save chinatown, Harry Tang, a partner in the Nanking Tavern - building on Elizabeth St

digitalarchive.tpl.ca

Some additional photos of the tavern:

POSTCARD – TORONTO – NANKING TAVERN – CHINATOWN – EXTERIOR NIGHT – INTERIOR – 1976

Visit the post for more.

chuckmantorontonostalgia.wordpress.com

 

[egotrippin]

Well that settles it. Bring back the Nanking Tavern, neon signage and all.

 

[Towered]

I believe so. Here's an old photo with a guy standing in front of the tavern, and the rear of City Hall can be seen in the background from that angle:

Trying to save chinatown, Harry Tang, a partner in the Nanking Tavern - building on Elizabeth St

digitalarchive.tpl.ca

Some additional photos of the tavern:

POSTCARD – TORONTO – NANKING TAVERN – CHINATOWN – EXTERIOR NIGHT – INTERIOR – 1976

Visit the post for more.

chuckmantorontonostalgia.wordpress.com

Vitrolite, brushed aluminum, neon...sigh.